Verses: Matthew 5:1-12
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’
sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
What Are the Beatitudes?
[per “GotQuestions”]
The Beatitudes are the eight declarations of blessedness spoken by Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12), each beginning with "Blessed are..." It is debated as to exactly how many beatitudes there are. Some speak of seven, nine, or ten beatitudes, but the number appears to be eight (verses 10-12 of Matthew 5 being one beatitude).
The Greek word translated “blessed” means “happy, blissful” or, literally, “to be enlarged.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the word to refer to more than a superficial happiness; in this context, blessed refers to a state of spiritual well-being and prosperity. The happiness is a deep joy of the soul. Those who experience the first aspect of a beatitude (poor, mourn, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure, peacemakers, and persecuted) will also experience the second aspect of the beatitude (kingdom of heaven, comfort, inherit the earth, filled, mercy, see God, called sons of God, inherit the kingdom of heaven). The blessed have a share in salvation and have entered the kingdom of God, experiencing a foretaste of heaven. Another possible rendering of the beginning of each beatitude is “O the bliss [or blessedness] of . . . .”
The Beatitudes describe the ideal disciple and his rewards, both present and future. The person whom Jesus describes in this passage has a different quality of character and lifestyle than those still "outside the kingdom." As a literary form, the beatitude is also found often in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms (1:1; 34:8; 65:4; 128:1) and in the New Testament as well (John 20:29; 14:22; James 1:12; Revelation 14:13).
https://www.gotquestions.org/poor-in-spirit.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-those-who-mourn.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-the-meek.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-hunger-thirst-righteousness.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-the-merciful.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/pure-in-heart.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-the-peacemakers.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/blessed-are-those-who-are-persecuted.html
[per “Life Application Bible Notes”]
(1) They are a code of ethics for the disciples and a standard of conduct for all believers.
(2) They contrast Kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary).
(3) They contrast the superficial "faith" of the Pharisees with the real faith that Christ demands.
(4) They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new Kingdom.
These Beatitudes are not multiple choice - pick what you like and leave the rest. They must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like as Christ's followers.
[per
“Bible Knowledge Commentary”]
As the multitudes continued to flock to Jesus, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. It was the custom of Rabbis to sit as they taught. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. Matthew 5-7 is commonly called “the Sermon on the Mount” because Jesus delivered it on a mountain. Though the mountain's exact location is unknown, it was undoubtedly in Galilee (4:23) and was apparently near Capernaum on a place which was “level” (Luke 6:17). “Disciples” refers not to the Twelve, as some suggest, but to the crowds following Him.
Jesus instructed them in view of His announcement of the coming kingdom (4:17). Natural questions on the heart of every Jew would have been, “Am I eligible to enter Messiah's kingdom? Am I righteous enough to qualify for entrance?” The only standard of righteousness the people knew was that laid down by the current religious leaders, the scribes and Pharisees. Would one who followed that standard be acceptable in Messiah's kingdom? Jesus' sermon therefore must be understood in the context of His offer of the kingdom to Israel and the need for repentance to enter that kingdom. The sermon did not give a “Constitution” for the kingdom, nor did it present the way of salvation. The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life. While the passage must be understood in the light of the offer of the messianic kingdom, the sermon applies to Jesus' followers today for it demonstrates the standard of righteousness God demands of His people. Some of the standards are general (e.g., “You cannot serve both God and money” [6:24] ); some are specific (e.g., “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” [5:41]); and some pertain to the future (e.g., “many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name?'” [7:22]).
Jesus began His sermon with “the Beatitudes,” statements beginning with Blessed are. “Blessed” means “happy” or “fortunate” (cf. Ps 1:1). The qualities Jesus mentioned in this list, “the poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” etc., obviously could not be products of Pharisaic righteousness. The Pharisees were concerned primarily with external qualities, but the qualities Jesus mentioned are internal. These come only when one is properly related to God through faith, when one places his complete trust in God.
• The poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) are those who consciously
depend on God, not on themselves; they are “poor” inwardly, having no ability
in themselves to please God (cf. Romans 3:9-12).
• Those who mourn (v. 4) recognize their needs and present them to the One who
is able to assist.
• Those who are meek (v. 5) are truly humble and gentle and have a proper
appreciation of their position. (Praeis, the Greek word rendered “meek,” is
translated “gentle” in its three other usages in the New Testament: Matthew
11:29; 21:5; 1Peter 3:4.)
• Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (v. 6) have a spiritual
appetite, a continuing desire for personal righteousness.
• The merciful (v. 7) extend mercy to others, thus demonstrating God's mercy
which has been extended to them.
• The pure in heart (v. 8) are those who are inwardly clean
from sin through faith in God's provision and a continual acknowledging of
their sinful condition.
• The peacemakers (v. 9) show others how to have inward peace with God and how
to be instruments of peace in the world.
• They desire and possess God's righteousness even though it
brings them persecution (v. 10).
These qualities contrast sharply with Pharisaic “righteousness.” The Pharisees were not “poor in spirit”; did not “mourn” in recognition of their needs; were proud and harsh, not humble and gentle; they felt they had attained righteousness and therefore did not have a continual appetite or desire for it; they were more concerned with “legalities” of God's and their own laws than with showing mercy; were pure ceremonially but not inwardly; created a rift, not peace in Judaism; and certainly did not possess true righteousness. Jesus' followers who possess these qualities become heirs of the kingdom (v. 3,10) on earth (v. 5), receive spiritual comfort (v. 4) and satisfaction (v. 6), receive mercy from God and others (v. 7), will see God (v. 8), that is, Jesus Christ, who is God “in a body” (1 Timothy 3:16; cf. John 1:18;14:7-9). His followers were known as God's sons (Matthew 5:9; cf. Galatians 3:26) for they partook of His righteousness (Matthew 5:10).
People possessing these qualities would naturally stand out in the crowd and would not be understood by others. Thus, they would be persecuted; others would speak evil of them (v. 11). However, Jesus' words encouraged His followers, for they would be walking in the train of the prophets, who also were misunderstood and persecuted (v. 12; cf. 1 Kings 19:1-4; 22:8; Jeremiah 26:8-11; 37:11-16; 38:1-6; Daniel 3,6; Amos 7:10-13).